Programming, which has developed into its own language, is now the favorite language of women, as more and more women have become interested in mastering it (even more so than French or Mandarin, for instance). Is it a positive sign of the times?

It began with internet/SMS lingo; and LOL was born. New acronyms followed suit (like OMG). Then emerged terms like Java and Python (no, not the place in Indonesia or the snake). Programming has developed into its own language and more and more women have become interested in mastering it (even more so than French or Mandarin, for instance). Is it a positive sign of the times?

As technology advances, language gets more bizarre. Think back 60 years ago and wonder what your grandmother would think if you told her you wanted more “RAM” or a “hard disk drive”? In those days gay meant happy.

Today, there’s a programming language called Brainf***; it’s supposedly noted for extreme minimalism — it only has 8 commands! We also have Shakespeare (no, not the author of Romeo and Juliet). Shakespeare Programming Language (SPL) was designed by Jon Aslund and Karl Hasselstrom; their commands appear to be based on Shakespearean plays –creative! One of the most popular programming courses (even online) is Ruby on Rails (some call it ‘Rails’). Invented by David Hanson, Rails is behind thousands of major apps, like Groupon, Shopify and even Twitter.

When the New York Times reported recently that women prefer learning programming languages over foreign languages, some people were bent out of shape. Is humanity drowning in the floodgates of technology? I view it positively; it’s a sign of the times and a much needed boost for women, who are underrepresented in technology. Sure, China is second in terms of economic power to America, so learning Mandarin is good for commerce. But coding is a universal language unto itself, which is equally as good for commerce!

Women speaking techie speak may mean more employment and tech opportunities for women, especially during a recession. This has happened before; when industrial machines became mainstream during the Industrial Revolution, civilization flourished. People learned to use the printing press and telegraph. When electricity was developed, electricians were born. Lingo changes.

Technology will continue to evolve. So be it Python or Rails – go for it women in tech, evolve with!